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Monday, April 4, 2011

Early Monday update

There are no plant parameter updates to be posted here this morning; I have looked at the plant pressures and temperatures and nothing surprising appears. However...

TEPCO is preparing to pump about 11,500 tons of radioactively contaminated water into the ocean off the Fukushima Daiichi plant. According to a story on the wire right now a "government agency," either NISA or the Nuclear Safety Commission (who we have actually not heard very much from at all during this) has signed off on this action as not being dangerous to people. The contaminated water is said to be about 100 times the limit; this seems to mean it's NOT from No. 2 plant. It would appear that the time requirements to get the giant barge ready aren't good enough... although that might be used for the No. 2 plant effluent.

TEPCO still seems unsure of just what the origin of the water entering the cable pit actually is. Now TEPCO has re-contradicted itself by noting that there are in fact intersections of the pipe tunnel and the cable tunnel. I had wondered from the start whether or not the water were originating in the cable tunnel, and the dumping of white dye into the plant end of the pipe tunnel without having it ever appear in the cable pit effluent is making that guess look a bit better. There in fact may be labyrinthine cracks and spaces in the concrete due to the earthquake and tsunami damage... which makes NISA's educated statement that this leakage to sea will not end until normal, recirculating plant cooling is achieved seem very correct or at least most conservative.